Customs nets ₱29.5-M marijuana from Thailand

The Bureau of Customs (BOC) confiscated a shipment of 21,071 grams of dried marijuana, with an estimated value of ₱29.5 million, at the Manila International Container Port (MICP).

According to the BOC, 74 boxes from Thailand arrived at the MICP last April 12 and were found to contain dried marijuana or kush during an inspection by the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS).

“We are seeing this modus more and more these days of marijuana being shipped through ‘balikbayan’ (returning Filipino) boxes, which have become symbols of the Filipino diaspora,” BOC Commissioner Bienvenido Y. Rubio said on Thursday, April 25.

“It’s sad to think that this modus is using something ubiquitous to every Filipino family as a balikbayan box because it degrades what that box symbolizes for us,” he added.

On April 19, 23, and 24, physical examinations were conducted by the CIIS-MICP after receiving “derogatory information” that the shipment contained illegal drugs.

The MICP said the shipment was declared to contain household items, shoes, and motor parts from Thailand. However, during inspection, it was found that three out of the 74 boxes contained marijuana.

The first box had around 6,400 grams of dried marijuana packed in 24 pieces of plastic pouch; the second box had some 9,771 grams packed in 42 pieces of plastic pouch; while the third box had more or less 4,900 grams packed in 22 pieces of plastic pouch.

The total 21,071 grams of dried marijuana has an estimated street value of ₱29,499,400.

The BOC has yet to finish the examination of the shipment, including the opening and unboxing, in the presence of agents from the CIIS, Enforcement and Security Service, Customs Anti-illegal Drug Task Force, Philippine Coast Guard, Environmental Protection and Compliance Division, and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).